Appeals at Angkor

Due in large part to aforementioned strife, Cambodia has more than its share of the world's impoverished, orphaned, destitute, and malnourished. Combine these circumstances with truckloads of white people coming to see what must surely be one of the ancient wonders of the world, and you end up with a lot of begging.

The outside of the temples of Angkor Wat (and, my god, are there a lot of temples) are filled with kids selling all number of trinkets, postcards, scarves, etc. Without exception they are organised by a minder - a begging pimp, if you will (though I suppose it's not really begging so much as vending) - to whom the vast majority of the proceeds of any sale go. The kids do go to school, if their parents can afford it, for part of the day and then spend the rest of the time hassling tourists.

Time and again I'd see stressed tourists sharply yell "NO!" or something equally harsh to the kids...but the thing is, it's much more enjoyable to engage the kids in a conversation than to treat them as pariahs. These kids are very, very good banter and one of the best things about visiting Angkor Wat was chatting to them on my way up to the temples.

A common one is to ask you where you're from and then they rattle off a list of facts to impress you (President Barack Obama, capital Washington DC, 50 states, 300 million people) - the same list they all know...though I did consider saying I was from Bolivia to trip them up a bit. One girl did actually impress me with the fact that she knew Arnold Swartzenegger couldn't be president because he wasn't born a US citizen.

I had a great time chatting with them. The kids come up with some absolute zingers in response to objections you put in front of them (some rehearsed, some not) - so I started writing them down:

[Coming out of temple with pineapple in hand]

Hello lady? You want eat something? Noodle soup, cheap price for you

[I gesture with pineapple]

No thanks, I have pineapple

[She makes same gesture with empty fist]

You have pineapple, I have hand!

[Walking up to rickshaw]

Hello ladeeee you want fried rice?

No thanks, I have pineapple

Fried rice good with pineapple!

[Approached by little girl selling magnets]

Hello lady, you buy something?

No thanks, don't want

I think you want, you just don't buy

[Walking past drink stands]

Hello lady, you want cold drink?

No sorry, have one already

Where you from?

America

Oh, capital Washington DC, president Barack Obama, population 300 million people. Take this bracelet.[Gives me a woven thin bamboo bracelet]

No thank you, you sell that

No, is free. If you don't take you make me cry.

Um, OK then

You buy cold drink later?

No I still don't need one

Ok but if you need one you buy from me?

OK

You no buy drink you make me cry

Oh, now, how about you can cry if I buy drink from someone else?

[she grins, laughs]

Hello lady, you buy scarf

No thank you

Many colour, $2 only

No, I don't want, sorry

Sorry is zero!

[laugh] Did you say sorry is zero?

Yes, sorry is zero! (holds up fingers to make "0")

Hello lady you buy postcards

No thank you

Where you from?

America

Oh, capital Washington DC, population 300 million people, president Barack Obama

Yes but do you know how long he has been in office?

[looks completely perplexed]….Office?

How long he has been president?

...um....no....

One year, one month

...um...ok...you buy postcards?

No, still don't want.

Hello lady you buy bracelet one for 1000 riel

No thank you

You buy for your friends

I don't have any friends

You know why you don't have any friends?

[laugh] Why?

Because you no buy from me...

(That is also apparently why I don't have a boyfriend, I hadn't bought him a photocopied book about Cambodia)

Today whilst eating in town many kids approached me selling books, bracelets, and one girl wanted me to pay her to find out how much I weigh (sorry I don't even want to know that for free, dear). One dollar, one kilo she kept saying.

Anyway I ended up with a collection of about 5 girls around me and they started asking for food...I mentally agreed to buy them some fried rice for lunch and walked with them a block towards the food stalls. By the time I got there I had about 10 kids around me...I can't feed all the kids in greater Siem Reap, if this keeps up I'll be able to fill a restaurant.

Plus I still have an overdeveloped sense skepticism around these situations - in India there's a well known milk scam in which a woman with a baby comes to you with an empty bottle, no money no money buy milk. You think, well, milk is a worthy cause, I can do that, so you follow her into the store and purchase formula. Wait, you think, formula costs $10? That seems quite expensive...but ok...Turns out the woman is in on it with the shopkeeper, she returns the formula for the 450 rupees and he keeps a cut of the profit.

So back to Cambodia and my gang of street children surrounding me - I walked a bit further until it was the original 5 and bought them all baguette sandwiches from a street vendor for about $2.50. As they ate they smiled politely and said a heartfelt "thank you very much" ...my heart just broke and I ran to get them some bananas from the fruit vendor as well.

Whether begging or vending, these kids are old well before their time.